Fabulous Four

One of the many competent Swedish bands imitating Anglo rock in the mid-'60s, the Fabulous Four had four Top Ten hits in their native country in 1966 and 1967, failing to make a ripple elsewhere. In the manner of many Swedish acts, they had an almost willful lack of identity. They tried sub-Merseybeat, folk-rock, and fuzzy garage, sometimes echoing groups like the Kinks and the Monkees. They wrote much of their material, but had their hits with awful covers of foreign pop tunes such as "Puff (The Magic Dragon)" and "Rhythm of the Rain" -- recorded, one suspects, against their will. Their stuff is not worth tracking down unless you've got a serious jones for '60s Continental rock, though judged by the standards of that category, they produced some acceptable recordings. ~ Richie Unterberger